- Six days after he was feared gone forever on Everest, Dawa Sherpa was found alive, crawling slowly through the icefall
- His family had already begun mourning him, not knowing he was still fighting his way back down the mountain
- Against all odds, he is now receiving treatment at HAMS hospital in what rescuers are calling a miracle of survival
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A climbing guide who was thought to have died on Mount Everest has been found alive six days after he was last seen, in what rescuers are calling an extraordinary survival story on the world’s highest peak.
Source: UGC
Dawa Sherpa, an experienced high-altitude guide, was last spotted above Camp 3 at around 7,500 metres (24,600 feet) as he descended after a successful summit.
How Dawa Sherpa was found
BBC News reports that in the thin, oxygen-starved air of the “death zone”, hopes of finding him alive had all but faded.
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But on Thursday, a cleaning crew operating on the mountain made a startling discovery: the veteran climber was alive, slowly crawling down towards Base Camp through the Khumbu Icefall.
He had suffered frostbite on his hands but was conscious and, remarkably, in relatively stable condition.
“Dawa managed to survive against all odds for days. It’s nothing short of a miracle,” said Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions, which coordinated search efforts. “This is a true self-rescue.”
He added that, to his knowledge, no climber had ever survived alone for so long at such an extreme altitude on Everest.
“This is a miracle to have survived for six days alone and descended safely. I think he must have lived inside the tents to keep himself safe.”
Moment Dawa Sherpa was found
Dawa Sherpa, also known as “Hillary Dawa Sherpa” in reference to legendary mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, was seen “slowly sliding through” the treacherous icefall when rescuers reached him.
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Medical staff later confirmed that he was awake and receiving treatment.
“He recognised me… he is good and speaks,” said his daughter, Mhendo Lhamo Sherpa, after visiting him at Kathmandu’s HAMS Hospital intensive care unit. “We are happy.”
Before news of his survival broke, his wife had reportedly performed last rites prayers, believing he had perished on the mountain.
Source: UGC
Recent deaths on Everest
The dramatic rescue comes amid a deadly climbing season on Everest, with at least five deaths reported so far, including three Nepali workers involved in expedition preparations.
Details indicate that more than 1,000 climbers have reached the summit this season, making it one of the busiest on record.
A resurfaced account by climber and former British Royal Marine Chris Thrall, who had earlier believed Dawa Sherpa had died, highlights the confusion during the descent.
In a social media tribute, he recalled the guide briefly stopping during the summit descent from Camp 4, the highest campsite before the peak.
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How Dawa Sherpa got lost on Everest
Thrall said he and others continued their descent in worsening conditions after Dawa Sherpa told him to go ahead, later losing contact with him amid the gruelling conditions.
“It had been a long summit push… that’s how challenging the conditions were,” he said.
Questions have since emerged over the pace of the initial search, with a relative, Kung Sherpa, expressing frustration in an interview with adventure publication Outside.
However, the search was eventually taken up by 8K Expeditions, whose team later confirmed the astonishing discovery and coordinated his evacuation.
For rescuers on Everest, where survival is often measured in minutes rather than days, Dawa Sherpa’s return from the brink has been described simply as “a miracle on the mountain.”
Memories of Cheruiyot Kirui
While Dawa Sherpa survived the harsh conditions, Kenyan banker Cheruiyot Kirui was found dead after he disappeared 8,000m above Mt Everest.
Cheruiyot’s adventurous sojourn to the summit point of Mt Everest began on May 17, 2024, and ended tragically six days later.
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It emerged that the thrillseeker had put himself on a trial of ascending the world’s highest mountain without supplemental oxygen.
Source: NgGossips
